How To Become the Best You in 2017? Three (3) Simple Steps to Self-Discovery

The year 2017 will be filled with promise, expectation and wonderful possibilities. We should all believe this same sentiment, but some of us will travel into 2017 the same way we journeyed through 2016. We will spend our days doing the same routine, having the same thought process, and performing the same patterns without ever realizing that there can be more for our lives. WE need a CHANGE.

How do we make 2017 a year we will never forget? I believe there are 3 simple steps to discovering our true self in 2017. They are: 1) Love Yourself Inside and Out; 2) Listen to the Words You Speak over Yourself; and 3) Lavish Positive Messages Over Yourself. Let’s explore each in more detail.

Love Yourself Inside and Out: When we think of love, we typically think of loving another person, a significant other, spouse or a child. We don’t normally think about loving ourselves and how important that is to our overall being.

How do we learn to love ourselves? I would say just like you learn to love others. First, you need to spend some time with yourself. I know that sounds strange, but it’s really not. How else can we understand the person that lies within? When was the last time, you took 10 minutes to just think about you? I don’t mean what you are going to wear or where you’re going to go, but what drives you, what makes you tick, and how you see yourself through your own lens. Take this opportunity to invest some time in you, and truly focus on what really drives you and what makes you love… you.

Listen to the Words You Speak Over Yourself:
The second step to becoming your best you in 2017 involves listening to the words that we speak over ourselves. Words like, “You’ll never be able to do that,” or “What if they find out about your past?” “Nobody wants someone like you around.”

Sometimes, our past tries to drag us down and hold us hostage. It feels like sometimes our past is like a large voluminous cloud that tries to force us to throw our hands up and say, “I surrender, you win.” That’s not to say that your past is not important. Past experiences teach us valuable lessons that impact our future. In fact, a wise man once said,“Your past mistakes are meant to guide you, not define you.”

Today is a new day with new opportunities and new adventures, so embrace the newness of each day. Know that your love for yourself arms you with great power. Take an inventory of every time a negative thought interrupts your day, and replace that negative thought with a positive one.

Lavish Positive Messages Over Yourself:

When I was younger, my mother told me,“If you don’t care about yourself, no one else will. You have to be your own cheerleader.” Remind yourself of all the qualities that you love and the positive comments that others say about you like, “I love the way you decorate.” Or, “I love how you always see the good in every situation.” Make a list of all of the things that you love about yourself. It will be tempting to include all the things you don’t love, but don’t focus on that for this exercise. Look at your life through the lens of God’s love. Outside of God and possibly your mother, no one knows you better.

I developed something for myself that I call the “Love Me Equation.” It goes like this:

One thing I love about me + one thing I love to do = “Love Me Equation”

You can make as many of these sentences as you need. I pick one sentence each day as my daily affirmation and commitment to myself. It is a simple reminder that I have some great qualities and that I should appreciate them. Remember if you don’t appreciate them, no one else will.

Here’s an example:
I love my communication skills + I love to plan parties = “My excellent communication skills help me to dive deep into a persons’ life and plan parties that are sentimental and personal for them and others to enjoy.”

If I were to ask you what you love about yourself, what would be the first thing you would say? Use that one word and complete your “Love Me Equation.”

In speaking with my husband about this particular blog, he thought it would be appropriate to end it with a somewhat comical quote from former NFL wide receiver Terrell Owens, “I love me some me!”